townsend



(No Model.)

i E. 0. TOWNSEND.

KEY FASTENER. No. 411,076. Patented Sept. 17, 1889.

WITNEgES INVENTOR ELI O. TOWNSEND, OF NEW YORK,

PATENT OFFICE.

N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO STEPHEN J. COX, OF SAME PLACE.

KEY-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 411,076, datedSeptember 1'7, 1889.

Application filed October 8, 1888.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELI C. TOWNSEND, a citizen of the'United States,residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Escutcheons and Key-Protectors, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accom panying drawings, forming part of the same, in whichsimilar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The object of my invention is to provide in an escutcheon a guard orshield against loss of key, or removal thereof from the lock, except atwill of the operator. I attain these objects by the mechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is aperspective view of my invention in position, exhibiting position of thekey. Fig. 2 represents a slotted movable plate or disk containingsubkey-hole H. Fig. 3 represents a stationary disk or plate withperforations for screws and ,key-hole proper H.

The plate B is held in position by placing the plate A within the raisedperimeter K of the plate B, and inserting screws through the aperturesA. These screws pierce the slots B, and permanently fasten the twoplates to the door or other object upon which the duplex escutcheon orplates may be placed. The screws are set in such a manner as to allowthe plate B to rotate upon its center 0 the whole or any part of thedistance between the ends of the slots 13. The slots B may be made ofany length essential to effect the Serial No. 287,504. (No model)complete concealment of the subkey-hole H.

The key-holes in Figs. 2 and 3 are of the same size and shape, so thatwhen placed one upon the other they will form one perfect duplexkey-hole. The plate B, Fig. 2, being movable, and the plate A beingrigidly held by the permanent screws A, a slight rotary movement of theraised perimeter K to the right or left effects the exposure of thesubkey-hole H, or conceals the same and holds the key by its shank inthe centralposition O, precluding the possibility of removing the sameexcept by an. opposite rotation of the raised perimeter K of the plateB, and thus effecting and affording at Will the complete exposure andavailability or entire concealment of the subkey-hole H.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

A key-escutcheon consisting of two concentric circular plates Withcorresponding key-holes, the openings for the axial line of the keybeing placed in the center of the plates, the superimposed plate beingpermanently fixed, while the subjacent plate is ca pable of a limitedrotation around the axial line ofv the key-shank by means of itsprojectin g raised rim, and by the rotation of the subjacent plate thekey-hole is occluded and the key securely held in place, substantiallyasset forth and described.

ELI C. TOWNSEND.

Witnesses:

BRADFORD P. GILES, A. HILDENBRAND.

